This is a great place to find that perfect
Mother’s Day gift!
SUMMER PASS SPECIAL

Pass is good for 3 months from the date of
purchase
Sales begin May 17, 2014

Great for students and teachers!

May 2014

For more information on all Trails activities
go to www.aprd.org or call (303) 269-8400

3 SOUTH AURORA MAGAZINE

CONTENTS
SOUTH AURORA
MAGAZINE

southauroramagazine.com

In This Issue

Magazine

May 2014
Volume 6
Issue 5
Publisher

Mike Waid
mike.waid@waidpublishing.com

Editor

Pamela Waid
pam.waid@waidpublishing.com

Ad Sales

Tiffany Grizzle
tiffany@waidpublishing.com
303-805-9455 xt 14

Graphic Designer

Adrienne Zeak Brust
adrienne@waidpublishing.com
South Aurora Magazine is published 12
times per year by Waid Publishing (www.
WaidPublishing.com), a division of Mike Waid &
Associates, Inc. (www.MikeWaid.com), 19751
E. Mainstreet, Suite R-18, Parker, CO 80138, 303805-9455. South Aurora Magazine is available
online at www.southauroramagazine.com.
South Aurora Magazines is a trademark of
Waid Publishing. All rights reserved. The views,
opinions and/or statements made or expressed
by individuals and/or entities, are not
necessarily reflective of the views and opinions
of Waid Publishing. No part of this publication
may be reproduced without explicit permission
from South Aurora Magazine. Copyright 2014
South Aurora Magazine - All rights Reserved.

Here is your chance to win a NEW Kindle! Simply enter our South Aurora
Magazine scavenger hunt contest. It’s easy to enter. Simply go online to www.
southauroramagazine.com and click on our contest page. There you will find
two “phrases” that are located within the pages of this issue of South Aurora
Magazine. Simply enter the page number of those phrases on the online contest
entry form and, as long as the page numbers are correct, you will be entered to
win! We will randomly draw a winner from all correct entries. GOOD LUCK!
WWW.SOUTHAURORAMAGAZINE.COM 4

May 2014

South Aurora

EXPLORE AURORA’S
HISTORY WITH STORY LINE

May 2014

L

ooking for some fun the whole family will
enjoy and even learn a few facts about
Aurora in the process? Jump in your car and
take a drive through history with Story Line.
The Aurora History Museum and the Historic
Sites & Preservation Office are proud to announce
the launch of Story Line, an audio tour resource for
Aurora residents and visitors. To access the Story
Line program, call 303-739-6681 and follow the
instructions. Each historic site has a narrative that will
tell the listener information about the location.
Story Line includes recorded stories told interestingly
through personas related to the site and developed by
museum staff. Listen to a child explain about their
new Melvin School house, built in 1922, or hear
homesteader and Irishman John DeLaney tell about
his family’s life in Colorado. Those stories include
narratives about some of Aurora’s most special places,
including the Aurora Fox Theater, the Centennial
House, and the Smoky Hill Trail. There are also stories
and sites from Aurora’s 100 year partnership with the
military.
Aurora’s historic landmarks brochure can also serve
as a guide to Story Line. Pick up your copy at the
Aurora History Museum or online by clicking on
the Story Line link on the museum’s website at www.
auroramuseum.org.
For more information about Story Line, or other
ways to learn about Aurora’s diverse history, visit the
Aurora History Museum, call 303-739-6660, email
museum@auroragov.org or visit www.auroramuseum.
org. v

One Coupon Per Table/Group. Not valid
with the $6.95 lunch menu or on holidays.
Expires 5-31-14

May 2014

www.parkwaybarandgrill.com

WWW.SOUTHAURORAMAGAZINE.COM 6

O

K, parents, here’s your essential crash course on Minecraft. If you have kids old enough to speak,
there’s a good chance that Minecraft is already a part of their vocabulary.
What is Minecraft?
Minecraft is a video game available on mobile devices, gaming consoles and computers. The
game features simplistic looking retro 8-bit graphics in a 3 dimensional world. In a single-player game there are
two primary modes. Survival Mode requires players to build shelter, hunt for food, travel and fight monsters to
reach the end of the game. Creative Mode gives players access to unlimited resources, protects them from dying
and allows them to fly and work quickly to facilitate creative building.
WHY DO KIDS LOVE IT?
Imagine a treehouse so high that parents can’t reach it. In the treehouse you can fly, build anything, fight
monsters, cast enchanting spells and create a little mischief. How much freedom should your kids have? You
decide.

Kids watch YouTube videos to learn - not all videos
are appropriate. Consider buying Minecraft books
for a safe way to learn.

WHY PLAY?
Social - Join a local Minecraft Club or have Minecraft play dates.
Life Skills - In Survival Mode, there is an ending. Working towards that goal can be a rewarding learning
process.
Engineering - Playing in Creative Mode and building contraptions with Redstone can teach basic engineering.
Fun - Playing games can help kids blow off steam. Just know what is fun time and what is learning time. v

May 2014

Brian Dickman has been hosting Minecraft Clubs for over a year and offers free information for parents. You can
contact him at http://www.deepspace.me/contact.

Beret Osmundsen, a wealthy New York socialite,
receives news that her estranged sister has died
in Denver. Her sister had moved to Denver to live
with their aunt and uncle the year after their falling
out. Beret discovers that her sister had recently
moved out and become a prostitute in the seedy
tenderloin district of Denver in the spring of 1885.
Beret is determined to discover what happened
and find her sister’s killer. Detective Mick McCauley
is not thrilled to find that he will have help in the
murder investigation, but Beret insists on being
involved in this high profile case.
PAM: I am always excited to hear that Sandra Dallas has a new book coming
out and this was not exception! I always enjoy her inclusion of Colorado
landmarks during her different stories. I thought this story was different from
her others. Did you feel that as well, Becky?
BECKY: I agree that a murder mystery was unexpected for this author and
I didn’t feel the connection to old Colorado that I always enjoy in a Sandra
Dallas book. What was familiar is a strong female character and in this story
we follow a determined woman that is committed to solving this murder. Beret
was a bit difficult for me to connect with and quite frankly like. Did you enjoy
this brassy main character?
PAM: I typically like Sandra Dallas’ strong female characters. But, I agree that
Beret was harder to appreciate and make a connection with. She was certainly
headstrong and determined. She decided she was going to be part of the
investigation and paired with the detective on the case, regardless of how he
felt. Mick, the detective, was a character I enjoyed. What were your thoughts?
BECKY: I liked his character too and it would have been more interesting to
have the story told through his eyes instead of Beret’s. I love a strong female
character but I found her to be a bit confusing. There are times where she acts
like an aristocrat with her nose in the air, yet she runs a mission for women in
New York. Also, she is hell bent to find her sister’s killer, yet the sisters were
not on speaking terms. As the story progresses we find out why the sisters were
estranged. Did this make you like Beret more?

May 2014

PAM: Although it explained the sisters’ estrangement, it did not make me feel
more connected to Beret. However, it did make me feel sad about her relationship
with her sister. As the story progresses, we find out more information about her
sister and her character. Beret seemed to know the truth about her sister and
her behavior before she began the investigation into her death. However, she
also hoped that they would eventually reconcile. This made me think she either
hoped her sister would change or was just denying the truth. Do you think she
realized the true character of her sister before her death?
BECKY: Before their estrangement and while they were growing up, Beret
viewed her sister through rose colored glasses. She didn’t seem to be surprised
by some of the ugly stories of her sisters character so I think that she must have
known that the accusations were on target. I would have expected some shock
or anger when confronted by some of these allegations but overall she was
quite accepting of them. As the investigation progresses we are presented with
a handful of suspects. Do you think that Sandra Dallas did a good job with
9 SOUTH AURORA MAGAZINE

all of the twists and turns in
this story?
PAM: There were many
twists and turns in this story.
I felt that some were very
mysterious and suspenseful,
while others were more
obvious.
The
author
did bring in numerous
characters during this
story. One of the more
unsavory characters was
Beret’s
ex-husband,
whom had relocated
to Colorado after their
divorce. Did you feel as
strongly as I did about
this character?
BECKY: There was nothing likable in that
character. He was an opportunist that used Beret for her fortune and gave very
little in return. Once again, Beret views this person through rose colored glasses
and doesn’t see his true nature for quite awhile. Although I didn’t connect with
Beret, I felt sorry for her as she had a lack of a support system. Her parents had
passed away, she was not close to her sister nor was there mention of a close
girlfriend. The author does give us a character that becomes quite fond of Beret.
Did you like this development?
PAM: I did like this development because I really enjoyed this character and
was glad he became a main part of the story. It was interesting how the author
connected his private and professional life to Beret. What did you think of this
character and his role in the story?
BECKY: Without giving too much away I found him to be the most enjoyable
character in the story. I do think that the connections were a bit far fetched
but he did bring some warmth to Baret’s character. As much as I usually love
Sandra Dallas books, this was not my favorite and I would recommend one of
her other books instead of this one. Did this story interest you enough to pass
it on to a friend?
PAM: I would recommend it for a quick read, but I agree with you. This
was not my favorite Sandra Dallas book either. Where are you taking us next
month, Becky?
BECKY: I am excited for some interesting conversation after reading The
Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley. Matt and Elle have know each other
since they were small. Now they are both successful professionals and happily
married. A fall from a ladder leaves Elle brain-dead and according to her
medical directive she does not want her life sustained by artificial life support.
As much as Matt doesn’t want to lose her, he is ready to support her decision.
That is until the doctors realize that Elle is pregnant. We follow Matt through
some difficult decisions and a nasty legal battle.

LOCAL AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT
Cleft Talk for Kids is an informative and interactive book
that explains the condition of
cleft lip and palate in a childfriendly format. In Cleft Talk
for Kids, children and their
caregivers meet Kate and
Charlie, best friends who
were born with clefts. Kate
and Charlie explain to young
readers why clefts happen
and how having a cleft can affect someone on a daily basis. Kate and Charlie also share how similar
children with clefts are to their peers despite their physical difference.

Forever Mama

Forever Mama is a heartwarming story of adoption as told through a
conversation between mother and daughter, which touches on the importance of the daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth mother and foster mother who remain

in China. In this conversation, the daughter learns of the qualities she has
inherited from her mothers, and also receives the gift from her adoptive
mother she has been hoping for
all alongâ&#x20AC;Śthe promise of forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Johnston-Burnham,
LCSW, is the proud mother
of the three greatest children
on the planet, one of whom
was internationally adopted
from China in 2010. Melissa
is also a clinician in a group
psychotherapy practice who
specializes in the treatment
of children and adolescents. Melissa lives in a messy house outside of Denver with her family and a multitude of pets. Forever Mama is
her first book and Cleft Talk for Kids is her second.
Both Books are available for purchase online at Amazon.com

May 2014

Cleft Talk for Kids

WWW.SOUTHAURORAMAGAZINE.COM 10

DRY EYE:

Causes, Symptoms
& Treatments

By Jennifer Grin, MD

May 2014

W

e Coloradans love to boast about our weather; 300 plus days of sunshine and a pleasant dry climate.
However, these conditions can also wreak havoc on our eyes.
Dry eye is one of the leading conditions ophthalmologists treat in Colorado. Among other
risk factors, our arid climate, intense sun, high altitude and metro smog contribute to the high
percentage of Coloradans who suffer from dry eye.
As we age, the risk of dry eye increases due to decreased tear production. By age 65, we produce 60 percent less
lubricating tears than we do at age18. Blocked glands in the eye, known as Meibomian glands, can reduce the ability
of the eye to produce natural lipids (oils) needed for healthy tear film. Women are more vulnerable than men because
of their associated hormonal changes. Common medications, such as diuretics, hormone replacement therapy, some
antidepressants, blood pressure medications, antihistamines, and various other medications may also contribute
to the condition. Those with diabetes, arthritis, connective tissue and autoimmune diseases, skin conditions (ex.
Rosacea), herpes zoster, and having received radiation therapy may all put you at increased risk for dry eye as well.
The list goes on. Having LASIK, not getting enough Omega3 fatty acids, or working in front of a computer also
increases your risk for dry eye.
Given the above, it is likely that you or someone you know has dry eye syndrome whether they know it or
not. Symptoms can range from simple eye fatigue, blurred vision, scratchiness, stinging, burning, redness, mucus
production and even tearing.
Dry eye syndrome is extremely common. Fortunately a routine visit to your eye doctor can determine whether
you are suffering from dry eye. Simple treatments may include over the counter and/or prescription medications or
even diet modification. He or she can also help determine if an in-office procedure such as punctual occlusion or
LipiFlow should be considered. LipiFlow is a relatively new treatment option, which is specifically designed to treat
blocked Meibomian glands in the eye with excellent results.
There is no need to suffer unnecessarily from dry eye syndrome. Exploring different treatment options will have
you back out in the Colorado sunshine in no time!
Jennifer Grin, MD is a board certified ophthalmologist at Parker Adventist Hospital.
11 SOUTH AURORA MAGAZINE

ART & POTTERY SALE
9am - 4pm
Come and see the works of art created by
our art and pottery students and staff. This
is a great place to get that perfect Mother’s
Day gift!
The Trails Recreation Center
16799 E. Lake Ave., Centennial
www.aprd.org

4TH SATURDAY AT THE CFM
9 am - 11 am
Veterans, families of the fallen, military
groups and service organizations, Scout
troops and others are invited to this
monthly guided tour of the Colorado
Freedom Memorial, including stories of
veterans honored on the memorial, future
plans for the site, a description of the
unique design features and more. Special
guests and activities also will be included in
the spring and summer months. A selection
of shirts and hats will be available for
purchase each month.
Colorado Freedom Memorial
756 Telluride St., Aurora
www.cfmf.net or (303) 248-3990

June 28

AURORA ARTS FESTIVAL
9 am - 9 pm
The theme this year is Upcycle with several
artists showing work made out of recycled
materials. We’ll have live music and
performances all day! Also interactive crafts
for the kids as well.
Fletcher Plaza
9898 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora
(303) 344-2223